Bill Emmott

Bill Emmott: Visionary Journalist, Acclaimed Author, and Global Affairs Strategist

Bill Emmott is a distinguished English journalist, author, and consultant, best known for his tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The Economist from 1993 to 2006, and for his influential books, including the latest “Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict over Taiwan” (2024). Born in London in 1956, he was educated at Latymer Upper School and later earned first-class honors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Magdalen College, Oxford.

Career at The Economist

Emmott joined The Economist in 1980, serving in various capacities across Brussels, Tokyo, and London. In March 1993, he became the fifteenth Editor-in-Chief, leading the publication to double its global circulation to nearly 1.1 million by 2006. Under his leadership, The Economist took editorial stances on significant issues, including advocating for the Iraq War, legalizing gay marriage, abolishing the British monarchy, and opposing Silvio Berlusconi’s tenure as Italy’s prime minister.

Authorship and Thought Leadership

A prolific writer, Emmott has authored 14 books focusing on Japan, Asia, Italy, and 20th-century history. Notable works include The Sun Also Sets: The Limits to Japan’s Economic Power (1989), 20:21 Vision: Twentieth-Century Lessons for the Twenty-First Century (2003), and Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan Will Shape Our Next Decade (2008). His most recent publications are The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World’s Most Successful Political Idea (2017), Japan’s Far More Female Future (2020), and Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict over Taiwan, published in Japanese as How to Stop World War Three (2024). He is a regular columnist for La Stampa in Italy, and Mainichi Shimbun and Nikkei Business in Japan, as well as contributing book reviews to the Financial Times.

Current Roles and Recognitions

Bill Emmott currently serves as Chairman of the Trustees at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and Senior Adviser on Geopolitics for Montrose Associates, a strategic intelligence consultancy. He previously served as Chair of the Japan Society in London from 2019 to 2024.

In recognition of his contributions to UK-Japan relations, the Japanese government awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in April 2016. Additionally, he is an Ushioda Fellow at Tokyo College, University of Tokyo, and a trustee of the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin.

Additional Contributions

Beyond journalism and writing, Emmott co-founded the Wake Up Foundation, an educational charity dedicated to raising awareness of challenges facing Western societies using film, now operating as the Wake Europe Project. He also co-wrote and narrated the documentary films Girlfriend in a Coma (2013) and The Great European Disaster Movie (2015), examining Italy’s socio-economic issues and the European Union’s challenges, respectively.

Residing in Dublin and Oxford with his wife Carol, Emmott continues to influence discussions on global affairs through his writings and advisory roles.